Bandana Cowl

Working at Purl Soho, I have a front row seat to the parade of effortlessly chic people that give our neighborhood itsrenowned style. From hereI can report that, for men and women alike,this season’s prevailing trend in neckwear is the bandana. Jauntily tiedaround the neck, it tops off everything from Sunday’s T-shirt and jeans to Friday’s night-on-the-town dress! The bandana is a sassy, casual touch that suggests that the wearer possesses an innate stylishness. It’s the perfect accessory for those cool mornings when you’ve hit snooze a few too many times and need to turn “thrown–together–in–a–rush” into “casually glamourous”!

My Bandana Cowl is inspired by my desire to make “effortlessly chic” even more effortless. I was so excited to create something with the same freshness as the tied bandana but without the fiddly aspect of actually having to tie anything!

I chose to make my Cowl out of Swan’s Island Bulky, a brand new yarn made from a beautiful blend of undyed merino and alpaca that feels wonderfully soft against the skin. The yarn creates a dense, rich fabric that’s cuddly perfection for the chilly days of fall!

Update

OCTOBER 14, 2012

Our original Bandana Cowl is a Purl Bee favorite, knit up it Swans Island beautiful merino Bulky. We love it too! But we couldn’t resist the temptation to get even cozier with the help of Jade Sapphire’s extraordinary 8 Ply 100% Mongolian Cashmere. Carefully selected, gorgeously spun and lovingly hand dyed, it doesn’t really get any better than Jade Sapphire’s cashmere!

The next section is worked back and forth in short rows, building from the point of the bandana to the back of the neck. You’ll be turning the work between each row instead of continuing around the needle. For a great Short Row Tutorial, click here!

Row 5: K42, wrap and turn.

Row 6: P3, wrap and turn.

Row 7: Knit to the wrapped stitch, knit the wrapped stitch making sure to pick up the wrap, k1, wrap and turn.

Row 8: Purl to the wrapped stitch, purl the wrapped stitch making sure to pick up the wrap, p1, wrap and turn

Repeat Rows 7 and 8 eighteen more times. Don’t worry if you lose count; you’ll know you’re done when you wrap and turn the stitches right next to the marker!

You’ve finished the short rows!

Next Round: With the knit side facing you, knit to the marker, making sure to pick up the wrapped stitch.

Continue with the knit side facing you, working again in the round. Knit 2 rounds, picking up the wrap of the first stitch.

Set-up Round: K18, place marker, k45, place marker, knit to end of round.

*Decrease Round: Knit to two stitches before the first marker, k2tog, slip marker, knit to the next marker, slip marker, ssk, knit to end of round. (2 stitches decreased)

Knit 3 rounds (or for 1/2 inch).

Repeat from * five more times. (69 stitches)

Next Round: Purl

Next Round: Knit

Repeat the last 2 rounds once more.

Bind off very loosely in purl. (I like to go up several needle sizes to bind off. In this case, I bound off with a US #15 needle.)

Weave in your ends and block as desired. Blocking isn’t strictly necessary for this project, but it significantly improves the drape and softness of the yarn. I’m personally convinced that Soak wash makes anything short of a Brillo Pad feel next–to–the–skin cuddly!

Thank you so much for your very kind words! If you have converted the pattern to work flat, the end of the row will suffice as the marker! That is to say that you will work the short row section until you wrap and turn the stitches right next to the end of the row!

Hi. I am not sure I am doing one of the steps correctly on rows 7 and 8. After the knit 1, it says wrap and turn. Do I wrap and turn the knit 1 stitch or the next stitch on the left needle? Thanks for clarifying.

Oh my gosh, the size of the swatch for the gauge is so….reasonably small?! What an unexpected treat to only spend a minute on a swatch instead of the usual half hour or so, and to be able to get started on this pattern sooner! Yay! lol
Thanks! 🙂

Thanks for reaching out! We do have a handy print function that can cut down the amount of pages dramatically!

If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.

Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. To remove images, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%.

Hello!
First I must say that I am very impressed with your responses to questions! It’s refreshing to see that you really do read and reply to your customers ☺
Being fairly new to knitting, I feel the Bandana Claim is a good “next step” project for me. I have a question the wrap and turn that I can’t seem to find answers to online.
Row 5: K42, wrap and turn – after the wrap and turn am I knitting back to my stitch marker? Because then on Row 6 I’m only purling 3 then doing another wrap and turn without picking up stitches. S
Sorry, I’m confused…. It seems so simple but feels like I’m just not doing something right.
Thank you!

Thank you so much for your kind words! I think that I can help! Once you complete your wrap and turn on row 5, the wrong side of the work facing you. You will then work row 6, ending with a wrap and turn so that the right side is now facing you! For this whole section, you will be working small rows (short rows) across the front of the bandana, working further across the piece each time!